Building or remodeling a home is an important, detail-oriented process. There are many decisions to make, and communication is key. This page should give you an idea of how our process works for building a new home. The remodel process follows a similar workflow, so this should be helpful to understand the remodel process as well.
Typical Project Outline
First, we'll plan an initial meeting get to know each other and talk about the basics. Here are some of the questions we'll ask.
What style home do you have in mind?
Where will it be located?
Have you begun thinking about what finishes you want?
Do you have a certain house plan in mind?
Are you working with an architect?
Or do you need help finding plans?
What is your budget?
Do you have a lot or do you need help finding one?
If you have a set of plans in mind, we'll review the design, ask questions, and make suggestions.
Part 1 of an example house plan, which was found on the Southern Living website.
Part 2 of an example house design plan.
Part 3 of an example house design plan.
Depending upon the level of detail of the design plans, we may be able to develop a preliminary cost estimate at this time. Estimates typically take 3 - 4 weeks to develop, depending on the complexity of the project. This gives us time to consult suppliers of material availability, cost, lead times, etc.
In order to create a final proposal and build the house we will need construction documents. Construction documents typically include the floor plans, elevations, dimensions, windows sizes, and other specific details. They are more detailed than design plans. If you're working with an architect, they would provide us the documents. If it's a design that was found online or elsewhere, those documents will need to be provided to us. An example of construction documents is below.
Example of detailed construction documents.
Continued example of construction documents.
Our final proposal will outline the total cost of the project, with detailed specifications and a breakdown of cost by phase.
Example of a proposal from us.
The proposal will also show any selections, upgrades, and allowances.
Selections are choices of items or systems that you need to have. A selection will have at least two options, and show the extra cost or savings for each option. For example, an HVAC system is a selection. You will need an HVAC system for your home, but which type? Would you prefer a basic air conditioning system with a gas heater, two stage heat pump, or a geothermal system? You tell us which you would prefer.
Upgrades are items that aren't required, but which many people like to have. For example, crown molding throughout a part, or all of, the house could be considered an upgrade. You would have the option to decline the item if you didn't want it, but the pricing is there to help you make the decision.
Allowances are provided to allow you the flexibility to choose your custom finish. Allowances cover the cost of a particular portion of the project, for example, hardwood flooring. In our consultations, we will ask questions to understand the level of finishes you want on your project. We will then set the allowance based on the typical price per square foot of the material we discussed. This allows you to choose the actual material when the time comes. Say you end up choosing a hardwood flooring type which is more expensive than the hardwood flooring type we included in the allowance. The additional cost of the material above the allowance would be billed to you as a change order.
Many builders will underbid the allowances in order to make the estimated price appear much lower. But when it comes time to choose finishes, the customers (you) realize that the price of the project will be much higher than the bid.
We aim to get the bid right, or as close to accurate as possible, at the beginning of the project, so that you don't have any nasty surprises as you choose your finishes.
Once you've had the opportunity to review our proposal versus your budget, we can discuss any changes that might be required to make sure you stay within your budget, or to add features that you might want that were not in the original proposal.